Pregnancy Skincare with Dr Miriam Rehbein (Dr Mi)

As a young dermatology student Dr Miriam Rehbein was frustrated with the lack of simple and effective skincare products. Too many irritating ingredients, low concentrations and ineffective compositions that failed to produce the hoped-for results. Fast forward to 2018, Dr Miriam – now better known as Dr Mi – put her years of experience and research into a skincare line which prioritizes efficacy. While she continues to run her dermatology practice, Dr Mi has also successfully produced a skincare line which uses technology to unlock active ingredient potentials for the regeneration and cell renewal of skin. Retinol, in particular, plays a vital role in the entire skin care series. As her own pregnancy developed so did her highly successful skincare line – which now has a dedicated pregnancy quotient.

Here she speaks to Tru & Beyond founder Miriam Abadi about her expansion into pregnancy skincare and her undying love of Retinol.

Dr Miriam since you are an expert aesthetician who is currently in the last stages of her pregnancy herself, would you talk us through the dos and don’ts of pregnancy skincare? 

In the past the knowledge I would impart on my patients was all based simply on my education, however now that I am pregnant myself and experiencing the fears about stretch marks, pimples, hormonal imbalances etc I can really relate to the skincare needs of pregnant women. There is currently a wealth of information and products on the market targeting pregnant women, which can be very overwhelming and scary. Shockingly, contrary to popular belief, most of the skincare products are actually allowed during pregnancy. Most doctors and companies are scared of providing guidance as they don’t want to be responsible for anything going wrong. Unfortunately, there is also a lack of studies being done on pregnant women and their skincare. Hormonal imbalances and skin breakouts are a common effect of pregnancy, in my Mama skincare line I have actually used salicylic acid -which many wrongly think is not allowed during pregnancy – the key point is dosage. On a low dosage – 0.2 to 0.3 - and with daily use the salicylic acid will help the skin to enhance that ‘pregnancy glow’. Another misconception is that chemical peels are prohibited during pregnancy – not true at all – I am peeling every day!

What would you recommend for the dreaded pregnancy stretch marks? 

My main focus during pregnancy has actually been on stretch marks, because sadly once you get them there is no way of getting rid of them, yes, it is possible to lighten them, but they will never be completely gone. The market is saturated with massage oils for this purpose, unfortunately none of these will work. To truly prevent stretch marks, there is only one proven ingredient in the whole world – Teca. This is a plant essence which gives elasticity to the tissue originates in Asia and is very difficult to find, making it a very expensive ingredient. But with continued use throughout the pregnancy, every morning and evening, you will not get stretch marks. I bought it in bulk at the start of my pregnancy and added it to my stretch mark cream. Teca can also help lessen the appearance of existing stretch marks by around 40%.

What about retinol dosage during pregnancy?

Retinol is not recommended during pregnancy. Sadly, there are not enough conclusive studies on the effects of retinol during pregnancy. We know that taken orally it will harm the baby and can even lead to miscarriages, as the active Vitamin A acid is very strong. Retinol comes from the same family. During pregnancy the options available are salicylic acid, cleansing and peeling. Peeling is a great option, because during pregnancy your cell turnover is higher than normal. Less is more during pregnancy. I would especially encourage women in the Middle East to go for peels as the harsh weather conditions make the skin even more unpredictable.

You just mentioned the difficulty of skincare in the Middle East due to weather conditions, what would be your advice for us to achieve a dewy glow without makeup?

I will divulge some secrets to you. During pregnancy due to the high turnover of skin cells, the skin gets the famous ‘pregnancy glow’, ideally, we want to retain this post pregnancy. There is a way to promote skin care turnover – Retinol – this comes as no surprise, but the secret is the dosage. In the Middle East women are afraid to use Retinol during the day, due to fear of pigmentation. This is one of many misconceptions about Retinol. People assume that Retinol thins the skin, this is totally untrue. When we over moisturize our cells become lazy as they get the message that the topical solutions will do all the work. As a result, your cell turnover slows down, in turn thinning the skin and making it more sensitive. We end up in a Catch 22 situation, where we feel our current skincare regime isn’t working and start buying more expensive products and continue to overuse. The truth is, you want to stop using too much moisturizer as it makes you age quicker. Studies have actually shown that women who moisturize their face a lot start to age quicker than those who use nothing at all. However, the same studies also show that the ones looking the youngest were using Retinol. Retinol forces cell turnover, but anything below 1% does not work. Starting from 1% is where the positive effects begin, the side effects of Retinol happen on the epidermis where you can see the dry rash, we want the Retinol to go deeper to the dermis. Therefore, always look for products with encapsulated Retinol, you will get all the positive side effects without any of the redness, dryness and rash.

When using Retinol should we moisturize first, then use the Retinol? 

Absolutely not! If you do that it will stop all the positive effects. Remember your skin cells are sitting there, lazy from being over moisturized. And then you add in Retinol, which is supposed to push them to wake up and work. By applying both you are confusing the skin. Find one direction and stick to it – my advice would be to go the Retinol way. If you do experience dry skin and peeling in the beginning of using Retinol, it is just proof that it is working to reenergize the cells.

Is there an age you recommend to start using the 1% Retinol? 

I wouldn’t necessarily specify an age as I have very young clients who suffer from acne and for them Retinol is amazing.
 

Any other advice for us in the Middle East?

 I’m sure you are all aware of SPF which is the cheapest form of anti-ageing. But don’t be afraid of using Retinol during the day. If you work with a regular dosage of Retinol your skin will start to turn over more. Just apply sunscreen over it. At night I would work with a higher dosage like 6% so you can really push your skin to the limit!